18x Maven/ Razor or other comparisons?

[Beendare]

Has anyone compared the 18x maven B5 to 18x Razors or any of the 15’s?

looking for side by side comparisons in the field of the top 18’s

I compared my 15 Meopro to 18x Razor uhd in the Arizona desert on tripods side-by-side, and was impressed with the Razors

Any maven razor side by side?

 

[rcook10]

I ended up with the mavens for price, I'd say that the vortexes may have a slightly deeper field of view but the mavens seem to have better clarity and low light performance.

 

[Spiral Horn]

I own a Razor UHD 18x56 (got an exceptional deal and couldn’t resist) and have done some playing around with both the 15x and 18x B5.

Both the UHD and B5 are fairly well constructed. However, the focus wheel on the UHD is glued on and the part of mine (the end cap) has come off. It doesn’t effect any performance but it makes an otherwise premium binocular feel cheap - although the housing is rock solid. So, I’d have to give a slight nod in overall build quality and refinement to the Mavens. Both have no-question warranties.

UHD and B5 optics are of similar quality and either will get the job done for long-range spotting. However, IMO 18x is just a bit too much and begins to make minor flaws in the view a bit more noticeable. I also see a slight bit more CA in the UHD. But overall see the UHD and B5 are about equal. Both use high-end glass and Abbe-Koenig Prisms in their optical design. Interestingly, the B5 uses higher fluorite content glass in the B5 as compare to the rest of the Maven line. To me, the better choice is the B5 in 15x56. The image is brighter, slightly crisper, with fewer visible aberrations. IME, optical designs have their peak performance at specific magnifications. IMO, the B5 15x56 is the cherry. Do I like it better than the UHD? = a smidge. However, the difference hasn’t been enough to get me to toss my UHD and buy a B5.

Just to get out in front of a frequent follow up when discussing these particular binoculars. The SLC 15x56 is a slightly better performer than either the B5 or UHD, Whether it is worth the extra $ is a personal choice.

 

[ElPollo]

I have the c-series 12x50 Mavens and a friend has the 18x56 Vortex. We’ve glassed them side-by-side and the low end Mavens are optically a big step above the Vortex. It’s not a direct 18 to 18 comparison, but I think the Maven 18x56c would handily beat the Vortex. I know a lot of people like Vortex stuff, but none of their stuff has impressed me.

 

[Spiral Horn]

I have the c-series 12x50 Mavens and a friend has the 18x56 Vortex. We’ve glassed them side-by-side and the low end Mavens are optically a big step above the Vortex. It’s not a direct 18 to 18 comparison, but I think the Maven 18x56c would handily beat the Vortex. I know a lot of people like Vortex stuff, but none of their stuff has impressed me.

I doubt that many experienced folks would agree that 56mm Maven C Series would “handily beat” the Vortex UHD 18x56. To begin with the optical system components of the UHD (Abbe-Koenig Prism, high-fluorite glass, etc) are clearly superior to the C Series. All one has to do is search reviews of the UHD by well-respected optics aficionados and it is almost universally considered a premium performer. The C Series is simply outclassed here. But the Maven B5 is very competitive with the UHD.

 

[ElPollo]

Sorry, my buddy has the Kaibabs, not the UHDs. But that is still comparing $1200 pair of Vortex to a $450 pair of Mavens. My C4 Mavens have some minor edge distortion. The Vortex was significantly more. The clarity and color was much better on the Mavens. You would expect light transmission to be better on the Mavens because it was a 12x50 vs an 18x56. My impression of the Vortex was that the image was dark and grainy with significant edge distortion. Since then I have been seriously considering buying a pair of the Maven B5 18x56 binos for tripod glassing. They are $400 less than the Vortex UHDs and have a lifetime warranty.

I’ve owned Vortex products since back in the day when they were called Eagle Optics. Every Vortex product I’ve owned has gone back on warranty issues. So far, my sample of one pair of Mavens are going strong.